Do It Yourself A/C???

[boatbuster]

I have been living with my A/C not working for the past 2 years. I had it charged up in 2006 and in 2007 it was blowing warm air instead of cold. I went to a local shop to get it topped up again, since our summer in Ontario lasts about a month I did not want to go through the whole diagnosis thing. No one would charge up my A/C without doing a full diagnosis at a high fee. One shop wanted $300 just to check the pressure in my A/C system when I know it is probably zero. I have read and seen a lot of the do-it-yourself kits and was wondering if they are any good and most of all if they are safe for my 2002 Astro. The Astro calls for 134A refrigerant but all I can find is what replaces the 134A. They also have stop leak and oils and so on, just to confuse us a little more. I was looking at a product from Duracool, anyone have any suggestions on which product would work best and is easiest to use??? I was going to leave it for another year, but we are going on vacation in a couple of weeks and it would be nice to have the A/C.

Thanks for any help!

[ericn1300]

I've had success in the past with the refill kits, they work for systems that just need topping off and are safe enough to be sold without restrictions but to be really safe and do it right you really need to get an a/c manifold guage set like this one http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/pho...2699/92649.gif to monitor both the high and low pressure sides. Most freon leaks are too small to leak out the compressor oil too but if you have to add more than one can make sure the second one has oil in it. I bought that manifold set for under $40 US on sale in the winter, but I bet they want a pretty penny for it right now.

To really do it right you need to vaccum evacuate the system and add the freon by weight and use a sniffer to find the leak but if a can of refill gets you going again I see no problem with it. My 86 Safari took a can of refill every other year. Just be sure to read and follow the directions and wear safty glasses.

[Blue Bowtie]

Avoid using ANY stop leak products, as they will likely clog the orifice tube as well as partially stopping any leaks. If you have dual A/C, you're likely to clog the rear expansion control as well.

The system really needs to be evaluated, but it doesn't have to cost a mint. Read the low- and high-side system pressures with a dual-gauge manifold. If it is only low, charge the system with the correct oil (ISO 100 PAG oil), the correct refrigerant (R-134a), and add some ultraviolet dye to make leak detection easier. If the system is completely empty, try drawing a vacuum on it and see how long it holds.

The Delphi compressors used since 1998 are prone to leakage at the compressor case 'O' ring seals. The only way to repair this is to remove the compressor, remove the clutch, disassemble the compressor, and replace the rings.



Before you balk at the idea of doing it right (with a manifold), check the price of a manifold versus one of the "death kits" sold as DIY items. The single hose "death kits" are about $15 (without any refrigerant) and a basic manifold can be had for $45, and it includes the correct quick-connect fittings and safety valves.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92649

Further, you cannot evacuate a system with one of the DIY "death kits" but can with a real manifold. For the price of 1/6th of what a shop wanted to charge for evaluation, you can own the tool forever.

Once you read system pressures, you can decide the best course of action. Until them, you are only guessing, and may become another statistical user of the DIY "death kits" sold as a "bargain" item.

[boatbuster]

thanks for the help